Fan



Patented Apr. 24, 1945 f UNITED s'rli'rlls PATENT OFFICE Arthur W. Gaubatz, Indianapolis, Ind., assgnor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application August 29, 1941, Serial No. 408,746

5 Claims.

This invention has to do with screw propellers and, particularly, with automotive vehicle propelling engine cooling fans whose blades decrease in pitch as the speed of the fan increases.

More specifically, the invention has to do with fans of the type disclosed in the Smith Patent No. 2,132,133 which was issued on October Li, 1,938,

and has for its principal objects to eliminate the friction in the hinges and thus obviate the resulting irregularities in operation and to simplify the construction and reduce the cost of fans of this type.

For a better understanding of the'nature and objects of this invention, reference is made to the following specification wherein there is described the preferred embodiment oi the invention which is illustrated in the'accompanying drawing.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 shows a fan in accordance with my invention installed on the propelling engine of an automotive vehicle.

Figure 2 is enlarged front elevation of the fan shown in Figure l.

Figures 3 and 4 are enlarged sections taken, respectively, on the line 3-3 and the line 4-4 `of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is anenlarged perspective view of the pintle of one of the hinges of the fan shown in the preceding gures.

Figure 6 is an end elevation of the pintle shown in Figure 5.

In the drawing, the reference character IU indicates the water-cooled propelling engine oi an automotive vehicle and the reference 'character I I the radiator by which the engine cooling water is cooled. The engine I is located in advance of the body of the vehicle and the radiator I I in advance of the engine so that movement of the vehicle causes air to circulate through the radiator and over the engine. To supplement the volume of air which is circulated through the radiator and over the engine due to movement of the vehicle, particularly when the vehicle is moving slowly, there is provided between the radiator and the engine a screw fan I2. The fan I2 is secured by screws I3 which extend through openings I4 in its hub I to a pulley I6 which is mounted so that it may rotate on a shaft I 1 which is carried by the engine. The fan is driven at a, rate proportional to the speed of the engine in a direction to draw air through the radiator and propel it over the engine by a belt I8 which passes around the pulley I6 and a pulley I9 which is secured to the crankshaft of the engine.

On the hub I5 of the fan there are formed stub arms 2D which are twisted slightly at their junc-v tions with the body of the hub so that their leading edges are located somewhat forward of their trailing edges; To each of the arms there is secured a blade which consists of rigid and inflexible leading and trailing vanes 2I and 22. Each of the leading vanes 2| is riveted to an arm 20 of the hub I5 and is, consequently, disposed parallel thereto. The leading edge of each of the trailing vanes 22 is connected tothe trailing edge of one of the leading vanes 2I by a hinge whose axis is inclined in the direction of rotation of the fan, e. g., at an angle of about fifteen degrees (15) to the line radial to the axis ofrotation of the fan which intersects the axis of the hinge at the same point as does the line normal to it which passes through the center of gravity of the trailing vane.

The eyes 23 and 24 of each hinge are integral with the vanes 2i and 22, respectively, and their axis is disposed forward of the bodies of the vanes. f The pintle 25 of each hinge is a rod of spring steel which passes through the eyes 23 and Y .241 of the hinge and has on its inner end an eye 26 and on its outer end an eye 21. The inner end of the pintle is secured to the hub I5 of the` fan by a rivet 28 which passes throughv the hub and the eye 26 and the outer end thereof is secured to the outer end of the trailing vane 22 by a rivet v29 which passes through the eye 21 and the vane and a strap 30 which is spot welded to the vane to stiiien it. l

The eyes 26 and 21 are disposed at such an angle to each other when the pintle is unstressed torsionally that they are stressed torsionally in the direction to bias the trailing vane in the direction to increase the pitch of the blade when they are disposed in the angular relation in which they are disposed when the eyes are secured to the hub and the trailing vane and the latter is at the limit of. its movement in the direction to increase the pitch oi the blade. This feature is illustrated in Figures 5 and 6 in which the angular relation of the eyes when the pintle is unstressed torsionally is indicated by the solid line position of the eye 21 and the angular relation of the eyes when the trailing vane is at the limit of its movement in the direction to increase the pitch of the blade is indicated by the dash-anddot'line position of the eye 21. Movement of the trailing vane in the direction in which it is biased by the pintle 25 and in the opposite direction is limited by stops 3| and 32 which are riveted to the stub arm 20 and the leading Vane 22. When the trailing vane is in engagement with the stop l3|, as it is when the fan is at rest, its trailing edge is located to the rear of the plane of rotation of the leading vane and its center or gravity is located to the rear of the axis of the hinge which connects it to the leading vane.

The fan I2 is secured to the pulley I6 with the trailing edges of the trailing vanes 22 extending away from the radiator II and toward the engine I0. ,When the fan is installed in this manner and the engine is operating, the fan is rotated at a speed proportional to the speed of the engine in the direction indicated by the arrow in Figure 2 and, consequently",idraws airthroughthef radiator and propels it overthe engine. Aseth'e speed of the engine increases, the trailing vanes swing from the positions in which they are shown in solid lines toward the positions in which they are swings.

shown in dash-and-dot lines in Figure 3 and the pitch of the blades of the fanisr'rconsequently,

reduced. The result of thisis Vthat' .thefrate 'at' which the fan l2 delivers air does not increase in proportion to its rate of.-rotation.and,fconse Two forces, viz., centrifugal force and ther resistance of the atmosphere to the passage:` ofthe blades through it, tend at alltimeswhilethe fan is operating to yreduce the .pitchofthe blades. The modus operandiA of the air resistance requires no-'explanation. `lCentrifugal force isfeifectivei at all timesbecausethe axesv of the hingessare'not inclined oppositely tothe 'direction otrotatiorr of the u fan and, therefore,V all .movementsf of-ithe trailing vanes from Athe solid' toward@ the dashand-dot line positions in which theyareI shown in Figure 3 are accompanied bymovements of the centersof gravity of the trailingvanesf'awayfrom theffaxis of rotation ofthe fan and viceefversa. However, the angle at which the hingesareinclined in the direction of rotation of the fan is so large-that centrifugal-force andlthefspring action of -the -pirrtles are the ldominant factors' in effecting-movement of the 1trai-lingvanes-and determining the pitch of the blades at different speeds of rotation offthefan.

Suiiicient lendwise clearancewhich` is Aindicated by the reference =character133 in'vthe'drawing is provided between ther-inner ends of the=eyes23 and the -outer -`endsv of'the 'eyes' 214-' ofthe Ahinges which connectthe fleadingand trailingva'nes of the'fblades that the-centrifugal force'which tends to 1 displace the. trailing vanesradially with I respect to the leading vanes 'during operation `of theV ian istaken entirelyiby the pintle`s`-25 at -all speeds of operation of thelfan'; Thus lfriction in the hinges is ilargelyoliminated nandthe-resulting irregularity in: operationobviated. f AsI have indicated-the -pintles125 are preferably .made ofspring steel. "The 'othervparts ofthe fan may ybe made of'lthe materialofwhich automotive vehiclepropellinglengine cooling fans are usually made, fviz.,st`ee1, orV any other suitable material but to'reduceth'e tensile load Yimposed by 'centrifugal force 'on'the piritles Tprefer-'to make the` trailingvanes'of alight metal', 'such as aluminum, an aluminum1 'base alloy; magnesium or a magnesium'base alloy.

' I- claim: I Y

a screwpropeller, a vane hinged so that the hinge about which the vane swings and to resist yieldingly swinging movement of the vane about the axis ofthe hingel about'which it swings including atorsion springwhichfextends lengthwise of the axis of the hinge about which the vane :swings and is xed to the vane and to a part of the propeller with respect to which the vane 2..'1n wscrew propeller, a rotatable hub, an arm whichl is connected to and extends away from thehub'at an angle-'to the axis of rotation of the hub, savane, ahinge which connects the vane to the arm so that it may swing about an axis which extends lengthwise of the arm including aligned eyes. on the arm and the vane Vand a .pintle which extends through the eyes and is xedto thev vane andto a part of. the propeller with-respect to which the vane swings so that it resists the vcentrifugal force which vtends to-,move the Vvane lengthwise of the axis of the hinge about which the-vane swings and yieldingly resistsmovement of .the vaneabout the axis of .the hinge about which the vaneswings.

3 In a screwpropeller, a rotatable hub, an

arm which is connected to and extendsaway-from the hub at an angle to the axis of rotation ofthe it'rnayfswingand means toresist the .forcefwhich tends to -move thevarie lengthwise of the .axis of hub, avane, a hinge which connects the vane to the arm so that it mayswing about an axis which extendslengthwise ofv the arm and is inclinedfin the direction of rotation of the propeller including aligned eyes on the arm and the vane and a pintle which extends through the eyes and is xed to the outer end of the vane and the hub so that it resists the centrifugal force which tends to move the vane lengthwise ofthe axis of the hinge about which the vane swings and yieldinglybiases the vane to a position in which it is disposed at anangle tothe pathin which the arm travels.

l 4. In ascrew propeller, a rotatable hub, an. arm which is connected to and extends away from thehub atan angle to the axis of rotation of the hub, a vane of an aluminum base alloy, a hinge which connects the vane to the armso that it may-swing about anaxis which extends lengthwise of the arm and is inclined. in'thedirection of` rotation of the propeller includingy aligned eyes on the arm and the vane and a pintle `which extends through the eyes and is fixed to the outer endV of the vane vand the hub so that itresists the centrifugal force whichtendsto movethe vane...lengthwise. of 4the `axis of the'. hinge` about which the vane swings and' yieldingly biases the vane to apos'ition in which it is disposed at an angle. to the .path in which .the arm travels.

5. vIn a screw propeller, a rotatable hub,.a.n arm which isV connected to and extends away from the hub at an angle to the axis of rotation of the hub, a vane of an aluminum-base alloy, a hinge which connects ythe -vane to. the arm so that it may swing about an axis which extends lengthwise of' the arm and is inclined in the direction of rotation of the propellerincluding aligned eyes on'thearm and the vane and a pintle'which extendslthrough. the eyes and is fixed to the outer end of the vane andthe `hub so that it resists the centrifugal force which `tends to move the vane lengthwise of .the axis of-the`hinge .about which the" vane swings and yieldingly'biasesthe vane to a position in which t is disposed at an angle to the path in .which the arm travels, and means for limitingthe swinging movement of the vane in both` directions. 

